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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Last Sunday we celebrated my sweet girl Mackenzie's 13th Birthday...... *sigh* Thirteen!!! Where did time go and when did my baby turn into a young lady? Her dad was out of town so we celebrated a day late. Mackenzie is a simple girl just like her mama (I love that about her).

All she wanted to do for her big day was go out to eat as a family and have mom make her birthday cake! It doesn't get any simpler than that. I did take her for a shopping day at Justice and she picked out quite a few cute outfits.

Dad helped her with the remaining money she needed from saved Christmas Gift Cards & Birthday money to finally purchase the Ipod touch she's has been wanting. Oh how things have suddenly changed.

No more tea parties, playing dress up or baby dolls. Now it's all about music, friends, giggling girls, and make up. I wish time would stand still so she could be my sweet little girl forever, but I know that's not happening.

Mackenzie and I picked out a Southern Strawberry Cake to celebrate her big day. She loves pink, so this cake was the perfect choice. Frozen strawberries are added to the batter as well as to the butter cream frosting. The strawberries give the frosting such a pretty pink color with added speckles throughout the cake.

I got this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Sweets" by Patty Pinner. I have read this cookbook from cover to cover twice. It's packed full of soul food desserts and memories for each recipe. It's such a great read as well as a great cookbook. I recognized so many of my favorite southern cakes and desserts that it was hard to put it down.

Happy 13th Birthday my sweet girl and welcome to the teenage years.

I promise to nag you about your homework, chores, and making the right choices when it comes to clothes, make up, boys, and friends.

I promise to ask you where you're going, who you're going with, and what time you will be home as well as checking in with you when you're gone. I promise to give you a curfew and consequences if you break it (because nothing good ever happens after midnight).

I promise to make sure you go from putting on your seat belt in our car to knowing and trusting that you will always wear it in any car, including your own. I promise to add a GPS to your phone and your car, so I can find you at all times.

I promise to take your phone and car away from you if I catch you texting when you should be driving. Speaking of driving I promise to teach you myself instead of daddy, because we all know he doesn't have the patience. Besides woman are clearly better drivers.

I promise to help you pick out the appropriate homecoming and prom dress and help you get ready. Know that I will stay up all night to make sure you make it home safely. I also promise not to be too tired to hear all about your big night when you get home, so don't leave anything out.

I promise to always be here with a open ear if you want to talk about anything without placing judgement. I promise that if you do break the rules that there will always be a punishment and this is only because I love you my sweet girl.

I promise that if you make the wrong choices along the way that I will do everything in my power to get you back on track. I also know one day that you will say you hate me, but please know that only means I'm doing my job.

You won't understand all my rules and limits that I place on you, but you will understand them one day when you have your own children. Always remember Mackenzie that no matter what you do or say ♥ I will always love you ♥.

To make the cake, combine the dry cake mix, gelatin, flour and sugar in a large bowl. Mix well.

Add the oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well (using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer) after each addition Add the water and strawberries and mix well.

Divide the batter evenly into two 9 x 1.5 inch or two 10 -inch round baking pans that have been greased and floured.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean and the layers pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer the layers from the oven to wire racks. Let them cool, still in their pans, for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, run a knife around the inside edge of each pan, then UN mold each layer onto the racks to cool completely.To prepare the frosting beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, powdered sugar and strawberries with juice. Beat until creamy (adding more sugar if the frosting is too thin). If the frosting is too thick thin it out with milk (1 teaspoon) at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Frost cooled cake.

39 comments:

Can't wait to try this cake recipe, but loved your blog post more! Made me a little "weepy". My daughter just turned 23 in November, graduated college in December and is off serving in Uganda at a special needs orphanage for 3 months. Cherish these next ten years, no matter how crazy they get...I promise they will go by WAY TOO FAST!

Happy Birthday to your lil angel....the time flys. My oldest just turned 13 in December and though I am very happy an d proud of the lil woamn she is becoming I still miss her baby years...I do have 2 other girls ages 10 and 6 plus a lil boy age 2 and one on the way...so I have a while before I gotta get used them all beeing grown...I hope it goes by slowly! :)

The original recipe called for 3 round cake pans. I used two 10 inch. It might be too much batter for a 9x13 in, so all I can suggest is try it.

As for refrigerating the cake or not. I did not, because it did not have a cream cheese frosting. I usually only refrigerate cakes that have a cream cheese or whipped cream frosting. As well as any cutartd or fruit filling or fruit toppings.

Tina, I cried the whole way through your post. My grandmother made this very cake for each of my birthdays, and it made me somehow feel like thoe times would last forever. I now have two daughters of my own that I bake this cake for, cant believe my babies are 15 and 7! I love what you wrote to your daughter, it says so much to her, and about you as as mom. Thank you for bringing back fabulous memories, and being such a great mom as well, she will thank you each and every day for being what she needed : )

Tina, I have tears in my eyes. You are such an amazing Mom. Your daughter is so lucky! And she is a doll. Happy belated birthday to your cute girl... oh and this cake sounds amazing. Totally making this soon!

Anonymous,Copy and paste this link http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2008/05/emergency-cooking-substitutions.html or open the link in a new window. It's my baking & cooking substitution listing. Scroll down just a tad and you will see "how to make your own self rising flour" using all purpose. You should be good to go after that.

I have made this cake for years. I was a high school librarian and made 3 cakes in sheet pans for my assistants (40-52) each year on my birthday. My recipe included 1 c. chopped pecans and 1/2 cup of shredded coconut in the cake batter. Never even crumbs left in the pans, LOL!

This recipe uses a cake mix, so it should have no issues with rising. I'm sorry, but not seeing you prepare the recipe makes it hard for me to figure out what went wrong. One tablespoon of flour would not affect if the cake rises or not, so I don't know what happened.